Skidmore-Tynan coach John Livas, rear, goes over proper technique with campers at the Skidmore-Tynan football camp on Tuesday. Nearly 80 players participated in the camp, which ran Monday through Wednesday at the school’s football practice field.

SKIDMORE – The future of Skidmore-Tynan football might just be on the uptick.

Nearly 80 players took part in the annual Bobcat football camp earlier this week, a turnout that excites second-year coach John Livas.

“Our camp went great,” Livas said about its success. “I was very proud of our kids ... getting up early in the morning and committing to our football program for three days.”

The S-T program is just a handful of years removed from a camp that featured fewer than a dozen players. Livas said having 76 this year shows how things are changing under his watch.

“It means a lot to the program. I kind of feel like football hasn’t been important here for the last few years,” he said. “There’s been some changes, I think the lack of continuity and stability in the program. That’s something we’re just trying to bring back.

“We’re trying to build pride in our program.”

Winning programs are built on a foundation of younger players’ want-to, and there was plenty of want-to at Livas’ camp.

“The numbers themselves show the commitment from our kids,” he said. “I was real pleased with our seventh, eighth and ninth graders ... because that was the bulk of our camp. We had 20-plus kids in each of those grades show up.

“As we told the kids, we are going to be ahead of the game and be ready to go by the time football season comes around for those kids.”

Kevin J. Keller is the sports editor at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 343-5223, or at sports@mySouTex.com, or follow him on Twitter, @beepicsports.